Present day telephony networks, typically have end-to-end networks built around circuit switches, end offices, a toll network, tandem switches, and twisted wires. These networks are commonly referred to as a public switched telephone network (PSTN) or plain old telephone service (POTS). Due to bandwidth limitations of plain old telephone service (POTS), there is an inherent inability to efficiently integrate multiple types of media such as telephony, data communication for personal computers (PC), and television (TV) broadcasts. Further, the type of customer services and feature/function capability that may be implemented in a PSTN is somewhat limited relative to a broadband communication system. Accordingly, new broadband architectures are developing which transmits voice, data, and multimedia (video and audio) communications using, for example, communication information packets. These communication packets may be constructed in one or more packet protocols such as Internet Protocol (IP) or Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM). These new architectures gives rise to a new array of user services and capabilities not previously available with PSTN. One such new service and system capability of a packet based broadband communication system is provided by the present application for certified mail.
Present PSTN voice mail systems do not readily provide a method that enables a caller to prove that they have left a voice mail or multimedia mail message for the called party, or for proving the content of that voice mail or multimedia mail, i.e., certified mail. Further, present PSTNs voice mail systems do not automatically include the digital representation of the message left that would enable electronic certification of a broadband communication mail message. The present PSTN infrastructure will not support certified mail. However, with the development of packet based broadband communication systems, certified voice and multimedia mail is possible to implement. Certified voice and multimedia mail represents a value to consumers as a means to enable a calling party to prove that they left a message for a called party on the called parties voice and/or multimedia mail system and establish the content of that message.